THE EFFECTS OF DESIGNER DRUGS USE

Some compounds are produced by chemically altering the form of controlled substances in order to bypass legal regulations and to produce special effects, these compounds are known as “Designer Drugs”.

These drugs pose a serious health risk for those who use them. The toxic effects of these agents, even when they are correctly identified are extremely dangerous. However, these drugs are most dangerous when the emergency room personnel wrongly identify them.

Designer drugs are available in three different groups- opiates, amphetamine derivatives and phencyclidine derivatives.  The long-term use of MDMA and MDA drugs which are amphetamine derivatives often cause fatal effects like hypertensions, hypothermia and seizures. Moreover, there is a major concern over the widespread use of these drugs as no antidotes are available for them. Opiate derivatives like M PPP, MPTP and fentanyl analogues often produce a wide range of toxic effects. Sometimes these agents are often sold as Heroin to the user and are often more potent than Heroin. Catastrophic results with many fatalities have resulted in the unknowing use of these agents as Heroin. The agents of abuse that are gaining popularity are arlyhexylamines like phencyclidines and ketamines. These drugs can often cause fatal toxicity and result to Cardiac arrest, status epileptics or hypertenisve emergency. Proper knowledge about the signs and symptoms of designer drugs will help to accelerate the cure of the patients.